23rd April, 2022
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The choice of Tonye Cole as the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has triggered another round of resentment.
Senator Magnus Abe, a governorship aspirant and major stakeholder has rejected Cole as the consensus candidate.
He had earlier warned that he will never support any process that does not conform to democratic tenets.
Kennedy Friday, one of his aides, said in several Facebook posts: “On Direct Primaries,We Stand”.
However, another aspirant, Dr. Sokonte Davis, in a press statement he personally signed wholeheartedly supported the decision of the party.
His press statement reads as follows:
Dearly beloved, Party men and women, Rivers people, Kalabari people, indeed last night, sensitive decisions were made for those of us in our Party who subscribe to the leadership of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi CON in the state.
These decisions, among others, brought my dear brother Pastor Arc. Tonye Cole to the fore in the forthcoming Gubernatorial Primaries of our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
God makes His own thing beautiful in His own time. I have always lived to give thanks in all situations. As a child of God, my word will forever remain my bond. We must come to agree that no two persons can occupy a seat at the same time. On this note, I fully support Pastor Arc. Tonye Cole in the forthcoming Gubernatorial Primaries of APC. To some, Tonye may not be the best, to some others he might also not be the desired but I bet you, a Tonye Cole shall be far better than what Gov. Wike or the the opposition parties will present to Rivers People for the Brick House for the 2023 Governorship election. As for me, when I say *”Amaechi Leads, Sokonte follows”*, I mean it with every ounce of my body and with all sincerity. Till God speaks otherwise to me, Ameachi is and remains my leader.
I hereby use this medium to call on my colleagues, Party leaders, Party faithfuls and Rivers People to channel our all to achieve the victory Rivers People desire. Now is the time to come together and salvage Rivers State from the manifest malfeasance in governance and State administration.
However, for those who disagree, the race is still fresh and open for everyone who wishes to contest to do so but that should be done with decorum and without deceit. As for us, as we have said previously and severally, we are credible people; our word remains our bond and Party remains forever Supreme.
Tonye Cole’s statement:
Tonye Cole accepts nomination as APC consensus nominee for Rivers Governorship election in 2023,has explained how he emerged and promises to reunite party.
Tonye Cole’s press statement:
Good morning my dear APC family. As many of you would have learnt by now, our great party has adopted me as the consensus candidate for the 2023 Gubernatorial election. This decision did not come lightly and was heavily debated. Many lessons were learnt from my emergence as the flag bearer in 2019, the primary one being erroneously labeled as an imposition on the Party by our leader, Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
To avoid any such controversies this time around, all the persons interested in contesting the position were asked by the Party to carry out wide consultations with stakeholders and an agreement was reached for a committee that would NOT include the leader to critically analyze each aspirant and arrive at a consensus candidate that is best suited to achieve the Party’s vision and for the sake of its unity and progress.
To achieve the above purpose, all 12 aspirants were invited to a meeting on Friday 22nd April, where 19 key party elders and leaders, including the party Chairman Chief Emeka Beke, were tasked to arrive at a consensus candidate for the party.
Some others present included Sen. Andrew Uchendu, Chief Sam Sam Jaja, Chief Victor Giadom, HE Amb. Oji Ngofa, HE Amb. Maureen Tamuno, HE Aleruchi Cookey-Gam, Hon. Onari Brown, Hon George Tolofari to name a few.
The Honourable Minister categorically stated that the committee was fully at liberty to arrive at any aspirant they deemed best suited and he would abide by their recommendation. All aspirants affirmed an earlier signed declaration to stand by any candidate the Party endorses and the Committee asked all of us, including the Honourable Minister, to depart for our various houses until a decision was made.
About two and a half hours later, we were called back to the venue of the meeting to get the verdict.
I want to use this medium to thank the Committee for an unbiased assessment that ended up putting me forward as the consensus candidate.
I am not in any doubt that it took tremendous bravery for them to make this decision in the face of serious pressure, especially as my co-aspirants are all imminently qualified for the job.
I am very mindful that it could just as easily be any one of them speaking to you in my place right now. For this reason, I am humbled by the incredible burden laid upon my shoulders to unite the party and reassure everyone, especially the other aspirants and those aggrieved by this decision that I will work assiduously for an all inclusive Party.
The work ahead of us is immense but the path to victory is much clearer today than it was yesterday. We must therefore agree to stand as one body and work together to deliver APC in the forthcoming elections in order to give our dear Rivers State a new lease of life through purposeful and progressive governance that will bring about social cohesion and economic prosperity.
– Tonye Patrick Cole, mni